Are there any men out there with Lupus?

Are there any men out their with SLE? All the posts I have seen on this site seem to be from females! I know only 20% of males get it but surely I can't be the only one. I was diagnosed with SLE 4 months ago after having various symptoms for 6 years. As I am diabetic and have Ulcerative Colitis the symptoms were originally put down to these but SLE mimics other diseases so is difficult to diagnose.

In the first 6 months of this year I started getting probems with both my knee joints and hands and elbows. They would seize up, very painful and usually only in the early evening. It made getting upstairs almost impossible on my own but, by the morning it had cleared up usually, only to start again in the evening! This then started to become earlier and earlier until it was starting up in the afternoon and affecting my whole day!

I was put on MTX and Hydroychloroquine and within a couple of months the symptoms had just about gone, and the waves of fatigue which I had suffered for years had improved!

I still get minor twinges here and there but it's a great deal better!

[lupus-support1 Administrator]

There are several men posting at the LuPUS Message Board. I will post the details after.

Be well!

Ros

[lupus-support1 Administrator]

Welcome to LUpus Patients Understanding & Support (LUPUS) at HealthUnlocked.

We also have another website called the LuPUS Message Board where you can also post questions and talk to other people. Registration is FREE and we offer free information and free online psychological support. We specialise in psychological support with our own counsellor/psychotherapist available.

By becoming a Member, you will have access to the private forums and because they are private, only Members have access and even bots and search engines are forbidden.

When you register, please use the following format for entering your date of birth: nn-nn-nnnn where n=number. Please use the "-" separator and not "/".

Finally, please go to: lupus-support.org/LuPUSMB and Sign Up.

I look forward to talking with you more!

Sometimes we need to talk to people who understand and who are not family or friends.

With good wishes,

Ros

[lupus-support1 Administrator]

I tried to send you a message via Bakerman001, but am getting an error message saying this page does not exist. Please let me know if you are having a problem.

Be well!

Ros

[Harlow]

I was diagnosed early this year (age 66) with Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, and a few weeks later with CLL. Autoimmune diseases do primarily strike young women - but not exclusively!

[lupus-support1 Administrator in reply to Harlow]

Harlow - you are quite right. Nevertheless, I should imagine it can feel difficult to post messages if you are the only male. I would like to encourage men with autoimmune conditions such as SLE, MCTD and other lupus variants to post about their experiences.

I am sorry to read you also have CLL.

We are all in this together. If you are interested, please join the LuPUS Message Board, which I have posted above.

Let me know if I can do anything to help.

With good wishes,

Ros